lawtai Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I've been looking into getting a sound bar since I don't want to have to deal with running wires around my living room. I have a 40" Samsung LCD tv, and was looking at getting the Sony HTCT100 soundbar. It's gotten decent reviews for what it comes with at the price ~$200. Also saw the newer version the HTCT500 on Amazon which has also gotten good reviews from the few users who've bought it. I can't remember the exact dimensions of my room, but my tv is in the corner of the room facing out. Seating is from a sectional that's basically at the other corner of the room. I'd be hooking up an Xbox360 and the DVR. Anyone have any suggestions for something? I wouldn't want to spend more then $3-400 ideally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apple jacks48 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I have a 50" Panny in the corner of our living room (facing out) with the CT100 and it sounds good. I live in a condo and the room is about 12'x20' and I needed something that sounded good but not a 5.1 system that would make all the other units mad. I have our Comcast HD box, WD HD TV player, and DVD Player plugged into the CT100 via HDMI, with all the sound through it, and the video going to the Panny. Everything controlled with a Logitech remote and it works well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted November 24, 2009 Veteran Share Posted November 24, 2009 I have the CT100 and really like it. The HDMI switching really makes things convenient while preserving quality. Too many soundbars require an optical cable from the back of the TV to the bar, but the quality of the sound isn't as great, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawtai Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 I'm leaning towards getting the CT100. It's been around 199 for a bit on Amazon too. Are there any delays with the HDMI switching since you're going through another device? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted November 26, 2009 Veteran Share Posted November 26, 2009 Nope. It does take 2 or 3 seconds for the sound to come on when first turning on the unit from standby, but, otherwise, it's flawless. I love how I can turn it off and the audio gets re-routed straight to my TV speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I've been looking at getting the ct100 as well. I really want a complete 5.1 or 7.1 setup but my room makes it impossible to set the speakers up correctly. I have a 60" Mitsubishi DLP and the only place it will fit is in the corner in my living room. There is no way to move things around at all so I think the soundbar is my only option. I've done a ton of research and the ct100 looks like the best in that price. It's a shame because I have a pair of $1300 acoustic research speakers that sound amazing and I could build a system around that piece by piece as I get the money - but like I said there is no way to place the speakers anywhere close to where they should go. Hopefully it will give me some sense of surroud sound. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 *double post, please delete :-( I have a 50" Panny in the corner of our living room (facing out) with the CT100 and it sounds good. I live in a condo and the room is about 12'x20' and I needed something that sounded good but not a 5.1 system that would make all the other units mad.I have our Comcast HD box, WD HD TV player, and DVD Player plugged into the CT100 via HDMI, with all the sound through it, and the video going to the Panny. Everything controlled with a Logitech remote and it works well. How is the surround effect and how full does it sound? Have you compared it to a 5.1 system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apple jacks48 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 *double post, please delete :-(How is the surround effect and how full does it sound? Have you compared it to a 5.1 system? To be honest, it doesn't really sound like surround sound to me. Maybe its because it is in the corner and not along the wall so the sound cant bounce around correctly. It has good bass, decodes my DTS mkv movies, and the sound from the sound bar is pretty good. Watching movies, you can definitely get into it with the volume up. I have never had a 5.1 system myself, but compared to my friends 5.1 Onkyo system the only real difference I can tell is the two rear speakers add more to the surround effect (of course). Having a dedicated center speaker also makes the regular dialog a little clearer/louder than the CT100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted January 5, 2010 Veteran Share Posted January 5, 2010 The CT100 doesn't use the walls to bounce the surround effect like some other soundbars do. Instead, it uses a "sound field" to create a pseudo surround effect. It's decent, for what it is, but it won't replace a true surround setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imnotrichey Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Looking to pick up a CT100 soon as well. Looks like I just missed the boat on some sub200 prices out there. Any deals for this out there? They go on sale often? Best I see right now for new is B&H audio has it for 270 including shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted January 14, 2010 Veteran Share Posted January 14, 2010 Looking to pick up a CT100 soon as well. Looks like I just missed the boat on some sub200 prices out there. Any deals for this out there? They go on sale often? Best I see right now for new is B&H audio has it for 270 including shipping. Best Buy randomly drops it in price. Also, be on the lookout for open items in Best Buy. The problem with this unit is that many people aim the remote at the subwoofer (where the display is) and nothing happens so they think the setup is broken. What they don't realize is that you have to aim the remote at the speaker itself because the IR sensor is in there. My store had a few units returned because of this and knowing that they were fully functional, I worked out a great deal for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imnotrichey Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Best Buy randomly drops it in price. Also, be on the lookout for open items in Best Buy. The problem with this unit is that many people aim the remote at the subwoofer (where the display is) and nothing happens so they think the setup is broken. What they don't realize is that you have to aim the remote at the speaker itself because the IR sensor is in there. My store had a few units returned because of this and knowing that they were fully functional, I worked out a great deal for one. Just caved and bought it for 260 from Amazon. Should be in tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted January 20, 2010 Veteran Share Posted January 20, 2010 You'll enjoy it, for sure. It has more features and better sound than soundbars that go for twice the price. It's one of those rare gems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawtai Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Just caved and bought it for 260 from Amazon. Should be in tomorrow! I thought about getting it, but then I'd been seeing comments about how it'd be better to setup a 2.1 or 3.1 system instead. Post back with your impressions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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